Deck Furniture

Sometime in the spring we were at Lowes and found some patio furniture we really liked- solid build (not thin and spindly) and thick, comfy cushions. Unfortunately the price was higher than we were willing to pay.

So we've been waiting. And researching. And waiting some more.

Our boring, under-used deck

Apparently this particular style of patio furniture is pretty popular and never goes on sale. I kept watching the sales, and other patio furniture went on sale, but not the ones we wanted.

Then last week an email from Lowes popped up with info on a sale on patio furniture. I clicked over to their website and checked the sales items on the off chance that our patio furniture would be included. It wasn't, but I searched for them so I could double-check the price.

I found our furniture, and though it wasn't marked "on sale" or "clearance", the price was lower! So I wrote down the prices so I could compare the online price to the in-store price.

We stopped by Lowes later that day to see if the price was the same there. We wanted to buy in-store so we could use our military discount, which we wouldn't get if we ordered the furniture online. But the price in-store was the same it's always been. I was disappointed, but thought to ask an employee about it. The lady who helped us looked up the furniture online, confirmed that the price was indeed lower, and said they'd match the price.

So she went with us to the checkout, and lo-and-behold, it rang up at the lower price! The lower price was in the computer, but not on the shelf. We saved almost $300 by being patient and asking about the online price.

While it might seem counter-intuitive to buy patio furniture at the end of summer, we'll actually get more use out of it in the next month or so than we would have all summer. The heat, humidity, and bugs here make summer the season to stay inside. Spring and fall are much more enjoyable.

Our deck is finally looking like a livable, useable space.

Look how thick those cushions are!

They're made of Sunbrella fabric, which is supposed to stand up to outside weather conditions- I'm curious to see if it lives up to its claims.

I've thought about getting an outdoor rug to go underneath, but I don't think it's a very practical idea with our climate. Though I might do it anyway if I find one at a good price...

Lesson learned: if you find a lower price online, and the price is higher in-store, don't be afraid to ask an employee to price match. And being patient can save you a lot of money.